Description

Scarface (United Artists, 1932). Half Sheet (22" X 28").
This classic film was actually completed in mid-1930, before
Little Caesar and Public Enemy, and would probably
have been considered the first of the great talkie gangster films,
had it not been held up for release when it ran into censorship
problems. Paul Muni stars as Prohibition-era mobster Tony Camonte,
a character based on Al Capone (whose nickname was "Scarface"). In
a bloody takeover, Muni's character takes control of the
bootlegging racket from his boss, and claims the boss' mistress,
Poppy (Karen Morley), in the process. But Tony's real love is his
sister Cesca (Ann Dvorak), and his right hand man (George Raft)
pays the ultimate price for becoming Dvorak's secret lover. The
film's original finale is a long, violent shootout between Muni and
the police, ending in Muni's death. The Hays' office, shocked by
the violence and sexual innuendo, delayed the film's release until
1932. It forced the studio to revise the ending, so that Muni goes
to trial and is executed by the state. The subtitle "The Shame of
the Nation" was added to the opening credits, and several scenes
were reshot or toned down. This visually striking original half
sheet is from the earliest known release of the film. Only two
other copies of this style poster are known. At least one of those
has the tagline Shame of a Nation printed on it. This copy
was never overprinted and displays beautifully. The poster had
several very small holes present, one in Raft's hands, and had some
color loss. There was a tear in the bottom border extending through
the "A" in the title. Professional restoration added some color
enhancement and the borders have been touched up. The poster has
been beautifully restored to its original glory and would be the
cornerstone to any great cinema poster collection! Fine+ on Paper.